Witchy Kitchen

Tag: Romanian

  • Three Course Witchy Menu

    Three Course Witchy Menu

    Put on your aprons and fire up your cauldrons, because this month’s edition of Witchy Kitchen is going full witch with an enchanting three-course menu, so mote it be.

    For our first course, we are drawing inspiration from 2015’s The Witch, which has already become a modern classic. Written and directed by Robert Eggers and featuring a lovely and innocent performance from Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, the film is meticulously authentic to colonial times so a colonial-inspired dish seemed apt. These biscuits are rustic, with apples that feature prominently in the film. Bonus, if you want to get extra witchy they double as altar cakes. Would you like the taste of butter? Would you like to live deliciously? Then whip up the accompanying goat cheese butter to serve.

    The Witch Apple Cheddar Biscuits with Goat Cheese Butter

    For the biscuits
    5 tablespoons butter, divided (freeze and grate 4 tablespoons, reserve 1 for cooking)
    1 1/2 cups flour
    1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
    1/2 a large Granny Smith apple, grated
    2 tablespoons chopped chives
    1/2 cup milk
    1 egg, beaten

    Heat oven to 400º. Meanwhile heat 1 tablespoon butter in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat, swirling to coat. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper, cheddar cheese, apple, chives, and butter. Combine milk and egg and add to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined (don’t overmix). In the skillet, drop 8 even sized dollops of the mixture, forming them into rounds and pushing down slightly to biscuit shapes. Cook on the stovetop for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven for 18-20 minutes to cook until golden.

    For the goat cheese butter
    4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
    4 ounces butter, room temperature
    2 tablespoons honey
    pinch salt

    Whip together and serve with biscuits.

    Our main course is inspired by the 1960 gothic horror directed by Mario Bava, Black Sunday. It takes place in Romania, which may very well be the witchiest place on earth. Barbara Steele plays both the doomed witch Princess Asa as well as her descendent Katia, who the witch comes back to drain of her youth and beauty in hopes of immortality. This is a Romanian dish called ciorba de perisoare, a meatball soup that is as sour as revenge. It’s also full of herbs perfect for youth and beauty spells, reciting incantations as you sprinkle them in is encouraged.

    Black Sunday Romanian Sour Soup

    For the meatballs
    8 ounces ground chicken
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    few grinds black pepper
    1/2 an onion, grated
    1/4 cup cooked rice
    1 egg
    1/2 cup breadcrumbs

    Thoroughly combine all ingredients and shape into 1-inch meatballs. Reserve in the fridge until time to cook.

    For the soup
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1/2 an onion, finely chopped
    1 red pepper, finely chopped
    2 ribs celery, finely chopped
    2 carrots, finely chopped
    3 tablespoons tomato paste
    1 tablespoon paprika
    6 cups chicken broth
    2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
    2 tablespoons lovage, chopped (optional if you have trouble finding it)
    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    In a large pot heat olive oil on medium heat and cook onion, red pepper, celery, and carrots, stirring often, until onion is very soft and translucent. Stir in tomato paste and paprika and cook, stirring, until tomato paste is starting to caramelize. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Drop in the prepared meatballs, lower heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Add parsley, lovage, and lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

    The 90s were a wicked time for witch movies, so dessert is inspired by 1998’s Practical Magic. Directed by Giffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters, there is a fabulous scene featuring midnight margaritas. The batty aunties conjure up a batch, and a delightful dance-around-the-kitchen party gradually descends into an entranced madness. These flourless chocolate cupcakes (adapted from a recipe from Smitten Kitchen) are kissed with lime and as dark as midnight, and the lovely floaty margarita cream is hypnotic, the perfect end to a bewitching meal.

    For the margarita whipped cream
    1/4 cup powdered sugar
    1 teaspoon lime zest
    2 teaspoons tequila
    2 teaspoons cointreau
    1/2 cup heavy cream

    Stir together sugar, lime zest, tequila and cointreau. Add heavy cream and whip to a soft but firm consistency. Dollop onto cupcakes.

    Set your table, light your candles, and enjoy a witchy meal.

    First published on Nightmare on Film Street.

  • Cabbage-Stuffed Hot Cross Buns

    Cabbage-Stuffed Hot Cross Buns

    The latest installment in James Wan’s The Conjuring Universe has arrived. The Nun, directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow), starring Demián Bichir (Alien: Covenant) and Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Final Girls), is a departure from the usual haunted houses of the franchise and takes us to a Romanian monastery inhabited by a terrifying demon nun. Two nuns up, or a bunch of nunsense? You can read the Nightmare on Film Street Review here.

    No matter your feelings on the movie, the setting is beautiful. From the castle-like abbey to the creepy crypts and underground tunnels, the Romanian architecture and religious iconography create a gorgeously gothic atmosphere.

    This Nun-inspired recipe draws on both Romanian cuisine and religious symbols. The filling is a pumped-up version of a Romanian stewed cabbage dish called varza calita, flavored with garlic, white wine, tomato, herbs, and delicious smoked paprika, which sinfully makes all vegetarian food taste like ham. The buns are similar to German bierocks, but crossed like hot cross buns to evoke our wicked demon nun. The combination of bread and a filling splashed with wine makes these the body and blood of Christ rolled into one – and a recipe every bit as blasphemous as the film. Enjoy!

    Cabbage-Stuffed Hot Cross Buns

    For the dough

    • 1 cup milk
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter
    • 3 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 1/2 ounce package yeast
    • 1 egg, lightly beaten
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 3 1/2 – 4 cups flour

    Lightly warm the milk (not so hot as to kill the yeast), and in a mixing bowl, mix well with butter and sugar. Mix in the yeast and allow to sit for 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in the egg and salt, and 3 cups of the flour. When it pulls together in a shaggy ball, dump on a well-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour a little at a time when it becomes too sticky to handle (another ½ cup to 1 cup). You are aiming for a slightly tacky, very elastic dough. Roll into a ball and place in a greased bowl covered with a damp dishcloth to rise for about an hour.

    For the filling

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, grated
    • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
    • 1/4 cup white wine
    • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
    • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1/2 pound sauerkraut
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

    Heat butter on medium heat and cook onion until deeply golden. Add garlic and paprika and stir until fragrant, and splash in the wine. Cook until dry, then add tomatoes, salt and bay leaves, and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are completely broken down and jammy. Add sauerkraut (you don’t need to drain, but pull out with your hands so you don’t take too much of the liquid) and cook until mixture is thick and mostly dry. Remove from heat, stir in dill and parsley, and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Since this is a filling, you want it a little drier and saltier than if it were a side dish).

    For assembly

    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 3-4 tablespoons flour

    Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal balls. One at a time, roll out to about 6 inches in diameter and put a couple spoonfuls of the cabbage mixture in the center. Gather the dough around the mixture and pinch together well to seal, then gently roll the whole ball in your hands to shape. Place sealed side-down on a greased baking sheet and continue with remaining buns.

    Allow to rise for 30 minutes. 20 minutes into the rising time, heat the oven to 375°. Brush the balls with milk. For the crosses, whisk together flour with enough water to make a consistency thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to be piped. Scrape into a piping bag and pipe crosses.

    Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve.

    First published on Nightmare on Film Street.